


So... that happened

by ChickadeeChickadoo



Series: Everyone is confused but R2-D2. [2]
Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: But if they did... they wouldn't do much, Chickens do not show up, Everyone Needs A Hug, Force Ghosts, Gen, People are angry, People hate people, People love people, Reaction Time - Freeform, and understanding, people are people
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:47:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24344509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChickadeeChickadoo/pseuds/ChickadeeChickadoo
Summary: Darth Vader killed the Emperor and left his will. Now everyone's left figuring out exactly how they're supposed to feel about this.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa & Anakin Skywalker, Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker & Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Luke Skywalker
Series: Everyone is confused but R2-D2. [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1752961
Comments: 109
Kudos: 555





	1. The crazy old wizard

Luke was at Tosche Station when the news hit. The Emperor was dead, Darth Vader had killed him, and Vader had left a will. It was a video will, though apparently there was some additional stuff in writing his lawyers were still sifting through.

Everyone scrunched in close around the screen as the message began to play. Luke blinked when the mask came off- that was a lot of scars. And those eyes were _creepy_.

He was more surprised by the fact that Vader had been married than the fact that the Emperor had killed her. The descriptions of how he’d gotten his injuries, what’d put him in the suit, made Luke wince. The declarations to his children (he was surprised that the man _had_ children, that he _could_ have children) were sweet- and then he threw Luke’s world for a loop.

“I- named Anakin Skywalker by my mother…” Luke blinked, staring. Anakin Skywalker was _his_ father’s name. His father was a navigator on a spice freighter, not the emperor’s right-hand man and the connection was obviously impossible… but what if it wasn’t? What if Darth Vader was his father?

Luke was out the door and running home before he had time to realize Vader had said children. Plural.

…---…

Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen made it through the whole video without speaking, though they did trade an absurd number of questioning glances. When it finished they both said one word, “Kenobi.”

Luke wondered _why_ they were visiting the crazy old wizard, but he didn’t say anything. If the wizard had answers his Aunt and Uncle didn’t then he didn’t really mind visiting the guy.

They arrived at his house in record time and Ben didn’t seem to be displeased to see them, just confused. Then they handed over the video.

Emotions flitted across his face, almost to fast to follow. The weird thing was that Luke _felt_ the emotions more than saw them. Shock. Guilt, Shame. Disbelief. Words in his mind, not his own, _It would have been that easy?_ Joy. Guilt. Pain. Anger, quickly squashed by guilt. Joy, also squashed by guilt. When the video ended the old man burst into tears.

Luke found himself giving the wizard an impromptu hug while the other adults in the room tried to find something to do that wasn’t paying attention to Ben.

Luke wanted answers, and so did they, but if Ben was willing to waste water crying about it, it had to be bad.

…---…

When Ben calmed down Beru was the first to speak. “He said children.” Beru hesitated a moment then finished with “Plural.”

Ben nodded. “Luke has a twin sister, Leia Organa. She’s a princess on Alderaan.”

Luke blinked.

Owen asked, “Who decided Leia got to be a princess and Luke got to be a farmer? Also, who decided to split them up in the first place?”

“Yoda and I decided that together they were to strong in the Force- the Emperor or Vader could have found them…” he stopped then, simply staring off at nothing.

“Vader seems to have figured out about them anyways.” Owen pointed out. Beru glared at him, but the point stood.

“I don’t know all that happened.” Ben finally said, “I need to talk to Bail Organa. He was named heir, he probably knows more than I do.”

Luke really wanted to ask who Obi-Wan was and why he’d left his father burning after telling him he loved him but figured it might be a sensitive topic.

“Are you going to Alderaan?” Luke asked. Ben nodded. “Then I’m coming with you.” Luke said. “It seems like I have a sister I need to meet.”

…---…

Leia had been worried and confused on the way to Alderaan. It took far too long to get there-the hyperdrive was acting up and so it took almost a week of travel to get home. She’d been afraid that someone would decide this was all a joke and drag her back to Vader and torture and whatever else they had planned.

When they’d gotten to Alderaan she was still worried, but the confusion had abated. Slightly. There was only one thing that made sense- Darth Vader was her father. She wanted to reject that- hated the thought of it, hated him, but… why else would he let her go? _Protect my children_ echoed in her mind as she exited the ship.

Her father, her real father was there. Bail pulled her into a tight hug and she returned the gesture with equal fervor. He blinked at the Stormtroopers that piled out after her.

“We need to talk.” Leia said, “In private.”

Bail nodded, then looked back at the Stormtroopers. “Thank you for your service in bringing Princess Leia back to Alderaan.” He said. “Do you need anything before you redeploy?”

All of them stood still for a moment before one spoke up. “Lord Vader said to get Leia to Alderaan and protect her with our lives if we valued our right to breathe. I believe he meant us to stay with her longer than this trip.”

The need to talk escalated.

…---…

When Leia was finally alone with Bail she said the first thing that came to mind. “Darth Vader’s going to kill the Emperor.”

Bail stared at him, slack-jawed, for a long moment. 

She found herself explaining. Artoo in the corridor, playing the video. Vader kneeling, the ship shaking like it was going to be torn apart, Vader ordering the Stormtroopers to bring her home, her asking what was going on, and his answer, the one branded into her thoughts. _Killing the Emperor. Avenging the murder of Padme Amidala. And saving my children_.

“I need to call Obi-Wan.” Bail finally said, “He should be the one to tell this story, not me.”

Leia did care about the story- she cared a lot about the story but all she could think to say was “Is he my father?”

And Bail nodded.

…---…

It wasn’t even a day later that they saw the message. Leia stared. She had a father, she was perfectly content with the one she had… but she was curious about the one she’d never known.

He said he loved her, and though she was pretty sure she hated him, she also believed him.

Bail called her again soon afterwards. Obi-Wan Kenobi was coming, and he was bringing her twin with him.


	2. Han Solo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alderaan

Artoo found Threepio locked in a closet aboard Leia’s ship. The stormtroopers had, apparently, gotten annoyed with the panicking golden droid and locked him away to shut him up.

Leia had been too distracted with Darth Vader and her dead crewmembers to really pay attention, and Artoo had been too busy watching over _her_ to find _him_.

The trip was over now though.

“Thank you Artoo,” Threepio said, “Thank you! If I’d been locked in there one more minute…”

…---…

Bail had to go to Imperial Center, he couldn’t wait for Obi-Wan to arrive. His coronation needed to take place before anyone else could usurp power.

Leia stayed behind for multiple reasons.

She wanted to meet her brother. She wanted to figure out what had happened, wanted to know the story of why… just _why_. Her father didn’t want to put her in danger, didn’t want anyone connecting her with the children Vader had mentioned.

So she waved her father goodbye, and she remained behind.

…---…

Getting a ship was fairly easy. Money wasn’t a big problem when the person you were visiting was super rich and also paying your bill.

Han Solo and Chewbacca were… interesting at least.

After the initial jump Han and Chewie stayed in the cockpit while Luke and Ben moved back into the main area of the ship.

“Ben,” Luke finally asked, “Who’s Obi-Wan?”

Ben started, glancing up from the box he’d been fiddling with the whole ride. “What?” he asked.

“Who’s Obi-Wan?” Luke repeated.

Ben stared at him for a long moment, and his lips quirked up into a sad smile. “That’d be me.” He said.

A couple things made a lot more sense after that.

…---…

“Kid.” Han said.

Luke glanced up and immediately found himself scowling. He wasn’t a _kid_. “I’m not a-”

Han cut him off. “We’ll be leaving hyperspace in half an hour.” He glanced over Luke for a second. “If you’re meeting anyone there you might want to get changed.”

Luke would have been offended if he hadn’t been mortified. “I don’t have any other clothes.” He said, “I didn’t think to pack any.”

Han stared at him for a long moment. Then he started laughing.

Luke would have been offended, except that the smuggler let him borrow a pair of his clothes… so Luke decided that gratitude might serve him better.

…---…

Leia swore that if she paced the landing strip much longer she’d wear a hole in it. Would the ship ever get here?

Artoo and Threepio were both beside her and if Threepio didn’t _shut up_ she’d… she’d… do _something_ very unpleasant to him.

Someone was requesting permission to land. It took far too much time… but the ship was down, and the ramp was lowering…

When the Wookie and the human stepped out of the ship together she felt vaguely disappointed. Why did her brother have to be so cute?

Then she saw the two people following after. The older man had to be Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the younger… seeing him felt like fitting in the last puzzle piece, and she knew it was her brother. Luke.

Luke was looking back at her. She waved at him, feeling a brief moment of uncertainty. Then he grinned at her and he was rushing around the other two, who must have been the pilots.

He wrapped his arms around her and she squeezed back. “Leia?” he asked.

“Yes.” She said.

From over Luke’s shoulder the pilot looked rather confused.

…---…

“You two are Vader’s kids.” Han checked.

Leia winced, but Luke nodded.

“And that fellow is Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Han pointed over his shoulder to where Obi-Wan was walking with Chewie.

They both nodded to that one.

“And you guys are twins, and this is the first time you’ve ever met.”

Another nod.

“And your other dad is going to be Emperor.”

“Only until he can change it to a democracy.” Leia snapped.

Han raised his hands in a defensive gesture. “Forgive me my uneducated words Your Worshipfulness,” he said, bowing slightly, “But the point still stands. Dear old Dad’s gonna be Emperor.”

Leia nodded, grudgingly.

Han grinned. He really needed to get paid, and then get out of here… but really, what were the chances that Han Solo would end up escorting Darth Vader’s son to meet his long lost sister?

The whole thing made the prospect of staying a little bit longer enticing.

It obviously had nothing to do with the kid. Or the princess.


	3. When Artoo was Anakin's unofficial councilor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan talks to the twins  
> Several people start making their way to Alderaan

Tarkin cursed under his breath. Whatever Vader had done to the Death Star had certainly been thorough. The engineers were still trying to smooth out all the wrinkles he’d made, just as Tarkin would have to do with the Empire once he took over.

He took another breath. This was a setback. A major one, but still. Only a setback.

It didn’t matter. Soon, the station would be in his hands. With the Death Star operational no world would be safe.

They’d have to give him the Empire. Thinking about it, Tarkin smiled.

…---…

Han and Chewie were stuck with C3-PO while Vader’s kids got to talk to the famous Jedi General in the other room.

Han glared at the droid for a long moment.

He must have some redeeming qualities… otherwise they wouldn’t have kept him… But really. Whoever had made this droid had to be evil.

…---…

Ahsoka must have watched the recording a hundred times. He hadn’t left anything for her…

She felt sick everytime he described what had happened to him… what Obi-Wan had done to him.

How could he have done that? He loved Anakin. He’d always…

She needed to find him. She needed to ask him.

So… Bail Organa. Alderaan.

…---…

Obi-Wan, Leia and Luke had taken an empty conference room of some sort. Artoo was there too. Threepio was not. Obi-Wan didn’t think he could handle that golden droid right now, the droid Anakin had made, had poured so much work into.

They were silent for a long moment, then Luke spoke. “So,” he said, “I’m guessing all of us want to know what exactly is going on?”

Obi-Wan and Leia nodded. “I know next to nothing.” Luke said. “So which of you wants to go first?”

Leia gestured towards Obi-Wan, and he nodded. Best to get it over with quickly.

He told them about Qui-Gon finding Anakin on Tattoine, what it had taken for the Council to agree to let Obi-Wan train the boy. He told them about meeting Padme again. He told them about being generals in a war together. Going to Utapau. And then… all the death. The security footage. Yoda’s command. The younglings. Finding Padme, stowing aboard her ship. Vader, choking Padme. The fight. Leaving with Padme, the birth, and the decision to split the two of them up.

He made it through the whole story, which was impressive considering his current state of mind. His hands were trembling though. He pressed them against his thighs to stop them.

Obi-Wan knew that both of them had questions, but he’d barely managed to get through the story once. He couldn’t… he couldn’t answer their questions. Not now.

Luckily, Leia seemed to notice his distress. She spoke next, of project Stardust and stolen plans. Of her, trying to send Artoo and Threepio down to Tattoine to find him, and Vader finding them first. Of the video that Vader’d watched twice before racing off to kill the Emperor.

Luke asked Artoo to play the video, and he did. It didn’t make much sense, even after seeing the video. Why would seeing that convince Vader that Padme had been murdered by the Emperor?

“How did you even know that showing him that video would work?” Obi-Wan asked. “He’d murdered so many… so _many_ people. Why would one more even matter?”

Artoo beeped, and Anakin was there, in tiny blue form. He was kneeling, hands fading off of the projection. He was working on a ship though. He stood up, shouting a curse, ramming his hand through his hair.

Artoo beeped in the video. “The dreams are back.” Anakin said, shortly. “She dies. I see her dying every time I close my eyes. It’s like mother all over again.” His breath rattled. “I’ll save her. I have to… I can’t lose her. I can’t lose her too.” His voice broke, and the video broke with it.

Obi-Wan would have spoken then, but another video started. Anakin was shouting. “Let go? I go to him for help and all he can tell me to do is let go! That’s about as helpful as Dreams pass in time.” He snarled. The anger drained from him in the next moment and he slumped. “The dreams only pass when they die.”

Another video started. Anakin was trembling. “I’ve found a way to save her. I’m saving her Artoo. I had to do it. There was no other choice.” His voice was pleading. “She’ll be safe. It’ll all be worth it. Palpatine said he’d help me save her. She’ll be safe.”

Obi-Wan gaped at Artoo for a long moment. That was why Anakin had turned? To save Padme? In no way did that excuse all that he’d done but… it’d been to save her. Why… “Why didn’t he come to me?” Obi-Wan found himself asking, though he wasn’t really sure he wanted to know the answer.

Dreams pass in time came to mind, and a young man with a lost arm crying over a lost mother.

That’d haunted Obi-Wan for years.

Obi-Wan wanted to take the question back, but it was already out and another video was playing.

There was Anakin, on the ground, arms around his knees. “He’s dead.” He whispered. “He’s dead. I didn’t… I couldn’t save him.”

The video stopped and a new one started. Anakin was kneeling, hands in the guts of a ship once again. The frustration on his face was easy to see, even in a hologram. He kept burning himself on something and cursing, sucking his fingers.

Artoo beeped a question, and Anakin released whatever he was working on. He turned around, slumping against the wall. “He was dead.” Anakin said. “He was dead and now he’s alive again.” He slammed a hand, the flesh one, into the wall beside him. “I’m happy, so happy he’s alive- but he did that on purpose.”

Anakin laughed, a bitter, broken thing. “I’m such a bad Jedi that all they can count on me for is an overly emotional response when my best friend dies.”

The anger returned to his voice as he rocked to his feet. “He let me think he was dead! The council told him too and now he’s back and expects everything to be normal again! But it can’t be normal. Normally when people die they don’t come back.”

He turned fully towards Artoo them. “If they’d asked me I’d have said no. Or I would have found a way to make sure they knew I was okay. I’d never do that to him- to Padme, to Ahsoka... Never.”

He stopped, slumping again. “He used me.” Anakin whispered. “I trusted him, and he used me.”

The recording cut out, and Obi-Wan felt like it’d taken a piece of his heart with it.

It’d still been Anakin’s choice, Vader’s choice, to lead the attack on the temple. To kill the younglings. To kill and enslave the thousands that came after…

But it’d been Obi-Wan’s choice to deceive him. It’d been Obi-Wan’s choice that’d probably gotten Anakin’s mother killed. It’d been Obi-Wan stowing away on Padme’s ship that’d convinced Anakin she had betrayed him. It’d been Obi-Wan’s choice to leave him burning.

Obi-Wan found tears on his face, flowing down his cheeks. He didn’t try to stop them.

…---…

Polo Tamrin was feeling rather frazzled. Why Lord Vader, or Anakin Skywalker, had put so many short notice changes into his will wasn’t much of a secret. Still, it caused problems.

There were five people in the will. Bail Organa, Leia Organa, Luke- my son- do-a-DNA-test-to-make-sure-you-fools, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka Tano.

How Tamrin was supposed to even find the two Jedi was beyond him, but he couldn’t really argue with a dead man and he wouldn’t have ever considered arguing with the man when he was alive.

At least Leia Organa was easy enough to find.

She and Luke got the bulk of Vader’s holdings, split into two equal pieces along with his ship collection and other odd possessions. Kenobi was given one castle. Ahsoka was given a pair of lightsabers.

Tamrin almost wished that Vader had gone to someone else for this sort of business, but Vader had not.

Tamrin sighed as he flew to Alderaan and requested an audience with the Princess.


	4. Anakin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A force ghost shows up

Obi-Wan stared at the glowing blue figure that still hovered at the end of his bed. “Anakin?” he finally asked, and Anakin’s lips twitched upwards into something of a smile.

Anakin bowed. “The one and only,” he said, and Obi-Wan was on his feet and-

“Can I hug you?” he asked, “How much of a ghost are you?”

It was Anakin’s turn to blink. “I don’t actually know,” he said. “You can certainly try.”

He spread his arms wide, and then Obi-Wan was crashing into Anakin and there had to be _something_ solid there because he didn’t just go straight through. It wasn’t the same as hugging a living person. Anakin wasn’t warm like that, and he wasn’t as solid. Obi-Wan could feel Anakin’s arms around him but it wasn’t as much arms as the _impression_ of arms that he felt.

“Force.” Anakin whispered. “I missed you.”

Obi-Wan felt like smacking Anakin more a moment, then deflated. He’d already punished Anakin quite enough- _Anakin was on the ground. He couldn’t stand, couldn’t even crawl away and the lava was so hot and the flames- and Anakin was screaming-_

“Obi-Wan.” Anakin said, and Obi-Wan suddenly realized that he was trembling.

“I’m fine,” Obi-Wan said, and Anakin raised an eyebrow but left it well enough alone.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan said, “I can help you. I can teach them a bit and then- then they should be able to see you.”

…---…

Han really actually had to go know. He had the money he needed to pay Jabba and he couldn’t justify staying any longer.

The kid forced him to accept a hug. The princess was much more dignified, though Han kind of wished she hadn’t been. He’d have been fine with accepting a hug from _her_.

Still, he had an invitation. He could come back. He planned to make use of it.

For the food of course- these people had really good cooks.

…---…

Both Luke and Leia caught onto meditation quickly, though it was Luke who saw the glowing figure in the corner first. Obi-Wan suspected it had more to do with not wanting to see than any actual lack of ability.

“Who’s that?” Luke asked, pointing.

Anakin smirked. “I am your father,” he said, “Force ghost style.”

Luke’s mouth popped open and stayed that way.

Leia saw him and her jaw tightened. She didn’t look pleased to see him at all, which Anakin, thankfully, seemed to understand.

“I won’t bother you if you don’t want me too,” he said, “But I think you should know that Tarkin is trying to fix the Death Star and that he’d headed for Alderaan. So those Death Star plans you have… they should come in handy. The weakness is- hard to exploit but also definitely there. Any one of you should be able to hit it.”

Obi-Wan glared at him. That was information he could have shared much earlier- but Obi-Wan also thought he understood, if only a little bit.

He was only useful to Leia if he had information, and he didn’t want his daughter to shut him out.

Strange how the ghost still had all the flaws of the man.

…---…

Luke wasn’t exactly sure how he was supposed to feel. Darth Vader- Anakin Skywalker- was his father. And he was also a glowing ghost.

“So,” Luke said, then paused. He didn’t want to drive the man away. He knew what he wanted to ask- how that video had shown that their mother had been murdered. It didn’t look like murder to Luke- she just… died.

But saying that seemed… intrusive. This man was his father, but he was still mostly a stranger. “How’d you meet my mother?” He finally asked.

Anakin smiled. The story was quite… something. Blowing up a droid control ship at nine. Of course. When Luke was nine… well. He hadn’t been doing anything like _that._

“Tell me about yourself,” Anakin urged after he’d finished the story.

A weird glowing blue chair seemed to form in front of Anakin, and he sat backwards on it, leaning his hands against the back and his chin on top of his hands.

“What about?” Luke asked.

“Everything.” Anakin said, and Luke nodded.

Where to start in telling about everything. “Well,” Luke said, “I’ve always wanted to be a pilot…”

…---…

Ahsoka arrived on Alderaan in record time, and thanks to her position in the rebellion was granted access to Leia fairly quickly.

Leia Organa, who Ahsoka was willing to bet should have been Leia Skywalker. Why else would Anakin have given the empire to Bail? If it’d survived Bail he would’ve wanted it to pass on to his children.

Soon after her meeting with Leia she stomped into Obi-Wan’s room. She didn’t knock, she figured he could probably feel her coming.

What she saw when she walked in made her stop short. Obi-Wan was there… and so was Anakin. He was glowing, and blue- but it was him. He waved at her in a vaguely awkward way.

“Skyguy,” She whispered, and then she was rushing headlong into his arms. It was different, but it was so nice to finally be with him again. Even if he was dead. How was he here if he was dead?

Maybe she didn’t need to yell at Obi-Wan. Too much. At least not until Anakin left the room.


	5. Ouch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin still has very many problems. So does everyone else.

Tamrin’s day was getting better and better. For the first time since he’d been hired by Vader he thought he actually enjoyed working for the man. Not only had Leia agreed to see him, but every single person mentioned on the will, excepting Bail Organa, was on Alderaan. If that wasn’t providence he didn’t know what was.

…---…

Apparently Luke had been named Luke-my-son-do-a-DNA-test-to-make-sure-you-fools on the will. Luke glanced over at Anakin, raising an eyebrow. Anakin smiled and tried for a nonchalant shrug, but he kept wincing as he looked between Obi-Wan and Tamrin.

“What did you do?” Leia snapped.

Tamrin jerked up, looking at her with wide eyes.

“Not you,” Leia snapped again, “Him.” She pointed straight at Anakin.

Tamrin looked through him, then around the rest of the room as if asking them to make the world make sense again. Luke snorted.

Anakin sighed. “Well…” he said, “I ask that you consider the fact that I’d been in a state of near constant pain for about nineteen years when I wrote that. And I knew I was going to die and was panicking. And I was angry that I was in this position in the first place and that I’d never get to know my children.”

He hesitated then, then shrugged again. “That last part wasn’t true- but it’s what I thought. I didn’t know about the whole Force Ghost thing at the time.”

Obi-Wan jerked up at that. “You didn’t? Then how’d you become one?”

Anakin’s lips twitched into something like a smile. “It felt right.”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.

Tamrin was still looking around the room as though everyone had gone mad. Finally he shrugged.

“Luke.” He said, “We do need to do a quick DNA test to fulfill Lord Vader’s will.”

Luke nodded. He already knew Anakin was his Dad. Still… it was strange to have medicine confirm it to- to see the machine spit out a positive paternity test. It made him feel almost warm.

Tamrin smiled at him, then clapped his hands together.

“Well then,” he said, looking genuinely excited. “Who’s ready to go through this thing?”

…---…

Luke and Leia went first. Anakin wasn’t too concerned about their gifts. He thought there was very little about their inheritance that they could take offense at. Well. Maybe Leia would since he’d gotten it serving the Empire.

Anakin was praying that Ahsoka would be next. But no. Of course not.

Well. Obi-Wan had apparently forgiven him for a lot worse… still.

Obi-Wan’s face was carefully blank as he looked over the deed he held in his hand. “Mustafar.” He said, and his voice was as carefully controlled as his face. That was not a good sign, not a good sign at _all._

“It has great medical facilities,” Anakin said, then thought about it for a second. It really… didn’t. They hadn’t really been trying to heal him after all, they were trying to keep him alive, useful, but also weak enough that he couldn’t pose a threat to Sidious.

Sidious had miscalculated but… not by much.

“Well.” Anakin said, “Not really. They’re kinda terrible. But I would totally recommend the bacta tank. Very…” Very what? It had been restorative, and such a relief. Really though any bacta tank would be able to do that same thing, administer relief. There was nothing special about this one. “Bactaey.” Anakin finished.

Obi-Wan just looked at him. Anakin thought about disappearing. He could do it. Perks of being a ghost, no one can hold you and make you have horrible conversations about guilt and stuff.

Ahsoka came to the rescue.

“What’d I get?” She asked.

Anakin actually smiled at that. Tamrin smiled to. The man seemed much happier than he’d ever seemed when Anakin was talking to him before… then again. Vader.

Her lightsabers were in the top of the box he gave her, and underneath was a letter.

_Ahsoka. I’m not actually sure if you’re alive or not at this point. Still. I thought I should leave you something, in case._

_You’re the little sister I never had, and I wish with all that I am that I’d been better. That I’d been able to protect you as you deserved._

_I don’t know if you were a wonderful Padawan or not, that doesn’t really seem like something I should probably comment on. I do know that I wouldn’t have wanted to train anyone else._

_I love you Snips._

_-Skyguy_

_(If I can go by that name anymore)._

Ahsoka read the note, then smiled up at him and Anakin felt himself relax.

….---…

“So,” Luke asked. “Why do you look like that?”

Anakin blinked down at him. “What do you mean?” He asked.

Luke waved a hand over him. “You didn’t look like that in your video.” He said, shrugging. “I just wondered how you chose.”

Anakin ran a hand through his hair, thoughtful. “I think I need to look like I’ve looked at some point in my life. That keeps me partially separate from the force- keeps me individual. Still… I should be able to look anyway I want.”

“Really?” Ahsoka asked, perking up. “I could see the great Anakin Skywalker as he looked with his Padawan haircut?”

“You’ve seen the holos.” Anakin muttered, scuffing his pretend foot against the stone.

“It’s not the same.” Obi-Wan said, smile dangerously edged.

Anakin had been feeling like Obi-Wan was waiting to get revenge. Anakin sighed.

Even Leia looked almost curious.

Anakin changed, shrinking into a nine-year-old with a terrible haircut. He tried to be a baby for a second, but that was awkward. Padawan with two hands was next. Then knight with one hand.

Then he had an idea. He grinned, transforming into a man that really _should_ have been a corpse, a man down three limbs who’d only stopped burning because there was nothing left to burn- red, raw, mouth gaping wide in an attempt to scream or breathe- even though all it did was let the fire get _inside_ of him to.

Then he turned into old him, scarred and pale. All of them were staring at him, even Leia looked disturbed. That reaction had nothing on Obi-Wan’s.

Obi-Wan turned but barely made it a few steps before tripping, falling to his knees. Then his lunch was on the ground in front of him. Anakin knelt beside him, placing his hands on Obi-Wan’s shoulders and cursed himself for a fool. He hadn’t- well he _had_ \- he had wanted Obi-Wan to _hurt_ and to see how Anakin had hurt- to see how much Anakin had wanted him to come back to save him one way or another. How Anakin would have begged if he’d had the lungs to do so.

He’d wanted Obi-Wan to feel guilty- but not like this. Not like this.

That was about the moment that Anakin realized that he- for all his noble sacrifice- was probably still a terrible _person_. 

That was also the moment in which Tarkin in his somewhat-less-than-fully-functioning Death Star appeared in orbit.


	6. Destroying the Death Star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stupid Death Star getting in the way of perfectly good apologies

“Okay,” Anakin said, still kneeling beside Obi-Wan, “I’ll apologize as much as you want later. I’ll do anything you ask me to do. But right now I think we should probably get the Death Star.”

Everyone gaped at him for a long moment. “What do you mean _get_ the Death Star?” Leia asked.

“The Death Star is in orbit now around Alderaan. They haven’t quite fixed it yet, but you really need to go blow the thing up before they do. I mean- you guys have had the plans and found the flaw like a long time ago right?” Anakin looked around himself for reassurance. The flaw was really so _obvious_ …

Leia nodded slowly.

Everyone else nodded sharply. Obi-Wan pushed himself to his feet. He avoided the mess he’d made on the floor, stalking out of the palace.

The others followed.

….---…

Alderaan didn’t have a military. They were a peaceful planet.

That didn’t mean they didn’t have some fighter ships that could be… requisitioned.

…---…

“Do you even know how to fly?” Luke asked and Leia bristled.

“ _Of course_ I know how to fly.”

“But can you do it well in the middle of a space battle?” Luke insisted.

“Can you?” Leia asked.

Luke nodded. “I’m a great pilot.” He said.

She glared harder. Being a great pilot didn’t mean he’d be great in a battle or that he’d be safe or much of anything.

“I’ll go with her.” Anakin offered.

Leia jerked towards him, eyes widening. “There is no need for that.” She said, making sure her voice was reasonably steady. There was _no way_ she was going to let Darth Vader fly with her.

Anakin simply smiled at her. It did not reassure her.

…---…

Obi-Wan hadn’t fought in a true battle in so long. He could admit that part of him missed the war. It’d been hard. It’d been horrible. There had been so many deaths, so much blood.

But he’d had his men. He’d had Anakin.

And that- it had almost felt like enough.

And then he’d lost everything.

His men had turned against him.

Anakin had betrayed them.

Anakin had fought him.

Anakin had burned.

Obi-Wan shook the image of Anakin- burnt almost beyond recognition- with those yellow eyes- out. He needed to concentrate.

The Force flowed through him. And Obi-Wan let himself breathe.

…---…

Ahsoka couldn’t help but feel a little excited. It wouldn’t be the same of course- Skyguy wasn’t really _actually_ here. Well, he was. But he couldn’t fly with her like old times.

Still- it was so nice to know that she’d be fighting by his side again.

…---…

It hadn’t really been very long at all since they’d left Alderaan. But- well. Han had to admit that the food was really good. And Chewie had encouraged him to come.

Chewie probably missed the food too.

Han hadn’t expected to show up in the middle of a battle.

A ship swerved around him, barely managing to get around him.

Han gaped. Had that been the princess?

…---…

Luke was close now. He felt the force flowing through him. He didn’t need the navicomputer- he could feel where his shot was supposed to go.

He fired.

It went where it was supposed to- Luke could feel it. So… why was the Death Star still there?

…---…

Tarkin felt the Death Star shudder. “What was that?” he snapped.

It was Gheal who answered. “It looks like- one of the fighters fired a torpedo. And…” Gheal squinted, leaning closer to the schematics he was studying. “If the Death Star had been operational it would’ve killed us all.”

Tarkin felt something very much like fear flowing through him at that admission. How in the worlds had that sort of flaw managed to make its way into the Death Star?

Gheal’s eyes suddenly widened. “We’ve got less than an hour.” He said, “Less than an hour to get everyone out. Then this thing really _is_ gonna blow.”

Tarkin was many things. Suicidal wasn’t one of them. He left in the first wave of escape pods and shuttles.

….---…

“Leia?” Anakin asked.

Leia glared at him. He ignored it. Mostly.

He pointed, forward and slightly to the left of their current position. “Tarkin is in that shuttle.”

Leia’s head snapped towards the shuttle. Her lips quirked into a predatory smile. “Well then,” she said, “We really must show him some Alderaan hospitality.”

Anakin let a grin stretch across his face as well.

This really was going to be _fun_.


	7. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the shortness...  
> But that is generally the way of my epilogues. 
> 
> They are short. 
> 
> Its a thing.

“What are we supposed to do with Tarkin?” Ahsoka asked.

“We could give him to the rebellion,” Leia said, “He probably knows a lot of useful things.”

Anakin blinked. “Couldn’t you just give him to the Empire?”

“The Empire!” Leia spat out the name like a curse. “Give him to the Empire! He wouldn’t be punished! They’d probably give him a medal.”

Anakin blinked again. He looked around the room to see everyone in varying states of agreement. “Do you mean to tell me that all of you managed to miss Bail’s coronation?”

Obi-Wan laughed. “So that’s where you went.”

Anakin shrugged. “I did appoint the man. Least I could do was watch.”

Obi-Wan shook his head, but he was still smiling. “Only you Anakin.” He said, “Only you.”

And Anakin was happy.


End file.
